Drawer operating mechanism



March 1954 c. A. BARNETT ET AL DRAWER OPERATING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Shes v 1 Filed May 1, 1948 INVENTORS CHQPLES 4.3flZ/YE7TAN0 By mamas H. zmwm QTTOZMEX March 16, 1954 c. A. BARNETT ET AL DRAWER OPERATING MECHANISM 3 Sheeas-Shewv 2 Filed May 1, 1948 Jig. Z

v INVENTORS CHARLES A BARNfT'T -NVD BY HAR/.55 H. BARNETT.

' -F ZMJ ATTORNEYS March 16, 1954 Q BARNETT ET AL 2,672,246

DRAWER OPERATING MECHANISM F'iled May 1, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 .719 7 INVENTORS CHARLES AB/NP/VL'T/AM: BY mamas H- awe/V577- 6% YJW r/Z A TTO/PA/EXS.

Patented Mar. 16, 1954 DRAWER OPERATING MECHANISM Charles A. Barnett and Charles H. Barnett, Cleveland, Ohio Application May 1, 1948, Serial No. 24,657

4 Claims.

The present invention while relating generally as indicated to a drawer operating mechanism is more particularly concerned with certain improvements in such mechanism for facilitating selective operation of any one or more of a plurality of superimposed drawers in a drawer type oven for baking and heat treating cores, molds, and the like carried on said drawers.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a mechanism which is of a simple and sturdy construction and enables eiiicient and safe op eration of heavily loaded drawers of the character referred to.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and par ticularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail a certain illustrative embodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the present invention in a position with the bottom drawer of the associated oven withdrawn, said oven and the drawers thereof being shown in vertical cross-section;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 except on a larger scale and with the front portion of the withdrawn drawer represented by dot-dash lines;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation view as viewed from the lefthand side of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section view taken substantially along the line 4-4, Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section view on an enlarged scale taken substantially along the line 5-5, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section view of one of the parts of Fig. 4, illustrating the same in a different position; and

Fig. '7 is a side elevation view of a modified form of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings and first more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, there is shown therein a drawer type oven I comprising a cabinet 2 supporting a plurality of superimposed drawers 3 therein, as on forwardly extending members 4 disposed below said drawers, for movement into and out of said cabinet. Leading into said oven l are ducts 5 and 6 for cir- 2 culating heated air or gas therethrough and through suitable interior ducts (not shown) and thus through and around the cores and molds or like work carried on said drawers.

Each drawer 3 is provided with a pair of rollers l at its rear end engaging the members 4, said rollers preferably being non-rotatably secured on an axle 8 transversely across said drawer and passing through slots 9 formed in said drawer inwardly adjacent each roller. With such roller arrangement, operation of said drawer effects rolling of the rollers l on members 4 and concurrent rolling of the axle 8 along the upper walls of slots 9 without sliding thereby obviating the necessity of providing bearings which not only require periodic lubrication but often freeze due to the effect of heat ing of the front end of the drawers and to provide a wheeled carriage 12 which together with the rollers 1 on the rear ends of the drawers.

support the latter for free operation into and out of said oven.

As best illustrated in Figs. 2-6, said carriage 12 has two pairs of wheels l3 journalled thereon and is freely movable toward and away from oven I by the rolling of said wheels on rails l4 extending forwardly from the base of said oven. Said carriage l2 comprises a pair of upstanding members It suitably braced as by diagonal braces l6.

Vertically reciprocable on said carriage I2 is drawer lift mechanism comprising a pair of ver-. tically disposed bars I! slide guided in eyes I8 projecting laterally from members It, said bars being connected together by a cross beam l9 having its opposite ends bolted or otherwise secured to said bars. Below beam !9 is another beam 20 extending across and secured to members l5.

Between said beams l9 and 20 is a suitable lifting device, herein exemplarily illustrated as comprising a hydraulic jack 2| of any desired construction operated by oscillation of the lever 22 thereon. For lowering said drawer lift mech- U anism from a raised position and in response to release of said jack 2!, coil springs 23 may be employed in the manner illustrated to assist gravity or if desired said jack may be of a double acting type for effecting both positive raising and lowering of said lift mechanism.

On said bars I! are a plurality of lifting fingers 24 positioned vertically thereon in pairs by collars 25 so that'when said lift-mechanismis in a lowered position, said pairs of fingers may be selectively swung about bars I? to aposition either under or clearing. the .pair of drawer pulls 26 on each drawer.

To thus swing each pair of.fingers.-24, .ther.e;, is provided a cross bar 21 between members IE to which a lever 28 is pivotally; connected said. lever having oppositely extending rods 29 connected thereto and to the associated pairsof fins gers 24 in the manner best illustrated in Figs. 3.51. andfi ivnere yp i l tion of said ver-t onapositioncausess mu taneous outward sw ne... ins .orsaidfingers .ZMsee fie. e- ..t 1ea t the drawer pullsiii-pi the associated; drawer; and zoscillation ,to; an ,opposite position causes simultaneous. inward sw n n aidfi sers. so as; .to. .be disposed. directly, below the. associated drawerspulls .(see*.Fig. 4). Each finger, Qfiihas an. upward proiectionfi 0; fitting into i rawer pull,.26 when-saidfinger isuaised. In Fig. 3 all three pairsof ,saidfingers 24,and the actuatin 1evers..28t.thereforareiliustrated in a p si on. for. raising. and. drawing, out. of the three superimposeddrawersi, of. oven. i. Obviously,- acountereclockwise. swinging. of. said levers will effect outward. swinging of. said fingers to. positions clearingthe..draw er,.pulls 26;;

It is now apparent that with the lift mechar. nismaima. lowered position,,the carriage 22.;rnay bemoved toward the oveni .and one ,or more of. the levers.28tactuatedtoi position .the associated. fingersld beneath the. drawer pullsttryof the. drawer or. drawers .3v whichit is .desired. to. opera. ate.:. 'Ihejack 2| .or. other equivalent lifting de vice may. then be .operated .whereuponthe. up:v ward movement. of thelift. mechanism and thus. of...the .fmgersl ;.will. raise. the. front. ends .of the drawer. or..drawers .3 fromtthelcross, members. i a- With; the..dr.awer .or..draw.ers 3 so raised,..the,-.car=. riage iZmaybe moved .awayfrom ovenA. where.-. byJhe projections-Bil on..said.fingers Z liinHen-H. gaging. the. drawer. pulls 26. will effect .,draw.:.- ing out of the associated drawer. .or...drawers.. 'I'he'rean ends. of the drawers are, of, course. supported-onrollersf! in the. mannenpreviously de-.. scribed... The. .treatedwork in. the pulled-out. drawers. may .then beunloadedtherefrom and. work .to betreated. placed thereontoand the. car-.. riage...l2 moved .toward. oven i forinoving the. drawers .thereinto. Thereaftenif it be. desired to. operate other drawers, the jack 2| is again.re.-.. leased whereupontheiiit mechanism, drops. by the.combined action of gravity and .thedownward. force-exerted by springs 23. The. .leversta :are theniproperly manipulatedfiso position thepropen; fingers. beneath the drawer pulls of .tl1e.draw.-. ersto benext drawn out of the oven.

It is to be understood that the carriage. i2.may. be in;the form of a trolley 48;.with wheels 43!; thereon running on rails or beams 12 projecting. rward f omthe t p o t r m. as illustrated in;Fig.. 7 and in the manner disclosed. in.Charle-s A. ,Barnett. et a1. Patent 1,9 59,5 18, dated; May 22 y; 9 of wh ch. t e r ior. Cha les. A- a t.-. tta-ii 10 16, pf. t two J n i nt rs o ...t present improvements. In such modification,

repetition of the description thereof is not 24 are first shifted horizontally to a position,

beneath the drawer pulls 26, or like means of the drawers, and then raised only enough to: effect engagement between the fingers and the drawer pulls whereupon movement of the car,- riage operates the drawers. Furthermore, as previously indicated, it is a matter of indifference whether or not the carriage 12 runs on rails projecting forwardly from the baseof the cabinet or is in the nature of a trolley 40 which runs on rails 32 projecting iorwardly from thetop of the cabinet. herein and in the claims denotes both of. these arrangements as well as any other arrangement; providing a support and guide for;the drawer,

operating mechanism.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated .in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention:

1. In a drawer operating-mechanism of the type which is adapted to be positioned-directly in front of a drawer supporting structure having a series of superimposed sliding rawers thereineach 0 equipped with a pair of relativelywidely spaced apart pulls and to be operatively connected to such drawers by raising of the mechanism to en-- age the same with said pulls on the drawers so prising a pair of vertical bars and cross-beams joining together said bars-an actuating-device in the form-ofa jack "which bears at its opposite ends on a cross-beam of said liftingmechanism and ona cross-beam of said carriage for raising said mechanism and for holding the latter in such raised position with respect to said-carriage,and paired series-of vertically spaced fingers respec tively adaptedto engage thepullsof the drawers-- each pair of said seriesof fingers being-vertically fixedly but independently horizontally movablycarriedby said. bars of said lifting mechanism whereby said pairs of fingers :may .be selectively positioned to clear. the drawer .pulls :and posifi.

tioned directly beneath the drawer pulls for en- The term carriage as used;

gagement therewith upon raising of said lifting mechanism, and means for selectively moving said paired series of fingers in opposite directions only to the aforesaid positions.

2. In a drawer operating mechanism of the type which is adapted to be positioned directly in front of a drawer supporting structure having a series of superimposed sliding drawers therein each equipped with a pair of relatively widely spaced apart pulls and to be operatively connected to such drawers by raising of the mechanism to engage the same wtih said pulls on the drawers so that movement of said mechanism in a direction away from the structure effects withdrawal of the drawers, the combination of a horizontally movable carriage including vertical members and crossbeams joining together said members, a drawer lifting mechanism vertically reciprocably mounted on said carriage, said mechanism comprising a pair of vertical bars and cross-beams joining together said bars, an actuating device in the form of a jack which bears at its opposite ends on a cross-beam of said lifting mechanism and on a cross-beam of said carriage for raising said mechanism and for holding the latter in such raised position with respect to said carriage, and paired series of vertically spaced fingers respectively adapted to engage the pulls of the drawers, each pair of said series of fingers being vertically fixedly but independently horizontally swingably carried by said bars of said lifting mechanism whereby said fingers may be selectively swung between a position directly beneath the drawer pulls and a position laterally offset from the drawer pulls whereupon raising of said lifting mechanism engages only the fingers and pulls which are disposed directly above one another, and means for selectively moving said paired series of fingers in opposite directions only to the aforesaid positions.

3. In a drawer operating mechanism of the type which is adapted to be positioned directly in front of a drawer supporting structure having a series of superimposed slidin drawers therein each equipped with a pair of relatively widely spaced apart pulls and to be operatively connected to such drawers by raising of the mechanism to engage the same with said pulls on the drawers so that movement of said mechanism in a direction away from the structur effects withdrawal of the drawers, the combination of a horizontally movable carriage including a vertically extending framework rigid therewith having vertical members and cross-beams joining together said members, a drawer lifting mechanism comprising a pair of vertically disposed bars slide-guided in said framework and cross-beams joining together said bars, and paired series ofvertically spaced fingers respectively adapted to engage the pulls of the drawers, each pair of said paired series of fingers being fixed longitudinally of said. bars so as to extend transversely therefrom and rotatable independently of the others of said series of fingers in a horizontal plane about said bars to clear the associated drawer pulls and to be disposed directly beneath the associated drawer pulls for engagement therewith upon raising of the lifting mechanism, an actuating device in the form of a jack which bears at its opposite ends on a cross-beam of said lifting mechanism and on a cross-beam of said vertically extending framework for raising said lifting mechanism and for holding the latter in such raised position with respect to said carriage, and means for selectively moving said paired series of fingers in opposite directions only to the aforesaid positions.

4. In a drawer operating mechanism of the type which is adapted to be positioned directly in front of a drawer supporting structure having a series of superimposed sliding drawers therein each equipped with a pair of relatively widely spaced apart pulls and to be operatively connected to such drawers by raising of the mechanism to engage the same with pulls on the drawers so that movement of said mechanism in a direction away from the structure effects withdrawal of the drawers, the combination of a horizontally movable carriage including vertical members and crossbeams joining together said members, a drawer lifting mechanism vertically reciprocably mounted on said carriage, said mechanism comprising a pair of vertical bars and cross-beams joining together said bars, an actuating device in the form of a jack which bears at its opposite ends on a cross-beam of said lifting mechanism and on a cross-beam of said carriage for raising said mechanism and for holding the latter in such raised position with respect to said carriage, paired series of vertically spaced fingers respectively adapted to engage the pulls of the drawers, each pair of said series of fingers being vertically fixedly but independently horizontally swingably carried by said bars of said lifting mechanism whereby said fingers may be selectively swung between a position directly beneath the drawer pulls and a position laterally oifset from the drawer pulls whereupon raising of said lifting mechanism engages only the fingers and pulls which are disposed directly above one another, and means for selectively swinging said paired series of fingers as aforesaid in opposite directions only to the aforesaid positions, each of said last-named means comprising a link pivotally connected to a cross-beam of said lifting mechanism, and a pair of oppositely extending rods having their ends connected to said link and to the respective pairs of said paired series of fingers at points outward of the respective pivot axes of said link and fingers, said fingers being prevented from swinging past the pull engaging position by said vertical members of said carriage.

CHARLES A. BARNETT. CHARLES H. BARNETT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 709,905 Hatfield Sept. 30, 1902 1,274,141 Coleman July 30, 1918 1,301,075 Moore Apr. 15, 1919 1,548,187 Coleman Aug. 4, 1925 1,765,023 McWane June 17, 1930 1,775,538 Schott Sept. 9, 1930 2,142,447 Krall Jan. 3, 1939 

